Just One More Chance
by Erin Primette
Summary: AU What if Sentinel Prime never betrayed the Autobots? In fact, what if Shockwave showed up out of nowhere and not only stole the pillars, but also tortured Sentinel? When that happens, will Optimus be able to help Sentinel cope with the traumatizing aftermath?


Being a fan of Sentinel Prime, this idea popped into my head. This fic was made possible by RPing with Sentinel Prime/DarkLordSauron. This takes place after the freeway chase scene and after Ironhide takes out the Dreads.

Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro/Michael Bay.

* * *

Sam, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Dino and Ironhide barely managed to escort Sentinel back to the NEST base safely. Sam hopped out and approached Lennox.

"Lennox," called Sam, "we've got Decepticons everywhere!"

"I got my whole team deployed looking for them," replied Lennox.

"You've got to guard Sentinel," panted Sam, "he's the key to the whole thing!"

"You got it," nodded Lennox.

"Sentinel," groaned Sideswipe, "move your aft! I almost T-boned you."

"Forget that," barked Ironhide, "just get him inside!"

After the Autobots transformed into their robot modes, Sentinel, Ironhide and Lennox wasted no time as they ran into the base.

"Where's Optimus?" demanded Sentinel, "I need to speak to him immediately!"

"He'll be here shortly," answered Lennox, "don't worry."

"He needs to be warned," asserted Sentinel, "something is very wrong."

"Decepticons!" shouted Ironhide.

Suddenly, a driller burst through the floor, carrying its master, Shockwave.

"You!" exclaimed Sentinel.

"We meet at last, Sentinel Prime," sneered Shockwave.

Trembling with fury and fear, Sentinel whipped out his blade and shield.

"What in the Pit are you doing here?" roared Sentinel.

"You know exactly why I'm here," demanded Shockwave, "now hand over the codes and the pillars!"

"Over my dead body," growled Sentinel, "Decepti-slag!"

"Hmph. You are as stubborn as Megatron told me," scoffed Shockwave, "I guess I will have to force you. Attack!"

Just as the driller charged at Sentinel, Ironhide fired rapidly at the giant worm. Behind him, he could see Sentinel's blade flashing through the air as he fought off the creature. The weapons specialist thought this would make a great Con killing story, but then he heard a cry of pain.

Sentinel screamed when the driller bit hard into his leg. His swing was shifted, and the momentum from it caused him to fall, forcing him to drop his blade and shield. He looked up and wished he hadn't done so. The driller had him surrounded and cut off from the other Autobots.

"Sentinel, no!" panicked Lennox.

"You Primes are all the same," hissed Shockwave, "thinking you can defy the might of the Decepticons."

The driller wrapped itself around Sentinel, pinning his arms to the sides as he struggled to free himself. Shockwave pulled a data pad with a long cord out of his subspace compartment as a force field appeared out of nowhere. Ironhide pounded at the force field, hoping to break it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't even budge.

"Eat my slag," snarled Sentinel, "you Pitspawn!"

"No," replied Shockwave, "there's something else of yours I'm after as well."

Shockwave hooked the cable to the back of Sentinel's head, causing him to wince as the probe entered his head. The Decepticon typed on his data pad.

"Ah yes," said Shockwave, "there it is. Begin data extraction."

Sentinel let out a bloodcurdling scream as he writhed in the driller's grasp. It felt like his mind was being ripped apart as the bit of data was removed, the probe physically damaging his processor. The driller released him, but he fell to the floor, the intense pain clouding his optics. With a final yank, the probe made its exit, the pain finally rendering the elder Prime unconscious.

"Thanks for your help, Prime," mocked Shockwave.

After the force field dissipated, Shockwave left with the driller, leaving Sentinel on the floor. Enraged, Ironhide stomped outside.

"Shockwave, get your aft back here!" shouted Ironhide.

"That can't be good," muttered Lennox.

Just then, Epps arrived at the scene.

"Hey, it just got worse," exclaimed Epps, "that damn worm thing took the pillars!"

"What the hell is going on here?" demanded a womanly voice.

Everyone focused their eyes on Mearing, who was standing at the balcony. At the same time, Optimus and Ratchet arrived at the base and transformed into their robot modes. They both looked around, grimacing at the sight of the destruction.

"What happened?" asked Optimus.

The Prime focused his optics on Ironhide as Sideswipe and Bumblebee entered the scene.

"Ironhide, what's wrong?" continued Optimus.

"Is everyone all right?" called Ratchet.

"Optimus," said Ironhide, "we have bad news. Shockwave attacked the base and stole the pillars. But that's not all; he used a mind probe on Sentinel!"

"A mind probe?" warbled Ratchet, "get my station ready! He needs medical attention immediately!"

Sideswipe and Bumblebee headed further into the base.

"Do you know what he was after?" asked Optimus.

"Excuse me," interrupted Mearing, "but what is this 'mind probe' thing?"

"Mind probes are used to extract information from a Cybertronian's processor," answered Optimus, "and the process is usually painful."

"And I heard Shockwave say something about needing the codes to the pillars," added Ironhide.

"So _**now**_ the Decepticons have," sighed Mearing in a sarcastic tone, "this is exactly what I was afraid of, and they know the location of our base. Wonderful."

"Someone help me here," groaned Ratchet, "Sentinel needs urgent medical treatment!"

Ratchet was struggling to move Sentinel, but he appeared to be heavy. Optimus lifted the elder Prime and helped the Autobot medic carry him to the medical bay. They managed to lay Sentinel onto the gurney.

"Thank you, Optimus," praised Ratchet, "don't worry, he'll be all right. This is nothing I've dealt with."

"That's Ratchet for you," commented Sideswipe, "patients before plans."

Irritated, Ratchet threw a wrench at Sideswipe, which hit him in the head.

"Ow!" groaned Sideswipe.

"I heard that!" growled Ratchet.

Optimus motioned Sideswipe and Bumblebee to follow him to the exit of the base while Ratchet started applying medical treatment to Sentinel.

"Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Ironhide," instructed Optimus, "come with me. Shockwave couldn't have gotten far."

* * *

Later that evening, Optimus, Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Ironhide and their NEST allies arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, but much to their dismay, Shockwave already activated the pillars, opening the space bridge. To make matters worse, Decepticons and carrier ships were pouring out and began terrorizing the humans. After transforming into his robot mode, the Prime glared his optics at Megatron, who was sitting in the giant stone chair where the Lincoln statue used to be.

"Oh shit," muttered Epps.

"Mearing is not going to like this," uttered Lennox.

"Get those slagging pillars down!" commanded Ironhide.

"Megatron!" shouted Optimus.

Furious, Optimus charged into the Lincoln Memorial until he was face to face with Megatron while Ironhide, Sideswipe, Bumblebee and their NEST allies fought off the waves of Decepticons.

"Ah," marveled Megatron, "enjoying the show, Prime?"

"What you have done to Sentinel was cruel even for you, Megatron," roared Optimus, "and _**you**_ will pay for it! Whatever your plan is, I can promise you it will fail, just as all its predecessors have!"

"We'll see about that," sneered Megatron.

With a loud snarl, Optimus leapt at Megatron, his blade already drawn and aiming for the Decepticon leader's neck. In response, Megatron stood up from his throne and charged at the Prime. The two leaders clashed on the steps with Optimus fighting uphill. The other Autobots tried as hard as they could to terminate the Cons while protecting their human comrades. Unfortunately, the newly arrived Decepticons swarmed the area, and the Autobots were completely overwhelmed by their numbers.

"We can't win this," panicked Ironhide, "there's too fragging many of them!"

Just then, Megatron broke off the fight and fled. Optimus sprinted away from the memorial without hesitation.

"Autobots, retreat!" commanded Optimus, "get out of here!"

Lennox turned to the other soldiers.

"You heard him," directed Lennox, "move it, on the double!"

The Autobots and their NEST allies fled as the area descended into the chaos.

* * *

Back at the base, the Autobots finally returned. After transforming into his robot mode, Optimus approached Ratchet.

"Any news?" asked Ratchet.

"We weren't able to prevent the attack this evening," answered Optimus, "how is Sentinel?"

"I did everything to fix it," replied Ratchet, "he's resting now, but you can see him if you want, Optimus."

"Thank you," smiled Optimus.

Without hesitation, Optimus sauntered over to the medical bay, where Sentinel was laying on the gurney. For some reason, it looked like the elder Prime was rather downcast.

"Sentinel," asked Optimus, "are you feeling all right?"

"My head and my leg feel a bit sore," answered Sentinel, "but Ratchet says I'll be fine. What happened to you? You look like you got in a fight."

"We went to track down Shockwave after the incident," replied Optimus, "but by the time we found him, he already activated the space bridge and transported a swarm of Decepticons. We were overwhelmed to the point where we had to retreat."

Sentinel's optics widened in horror.

"Oh no," gasped Sentinel, "this is all my fault! I didn't encrypt the codes enough to keep the Decepticons from figuring them out."

Sentinel shook his head in disbelief.

"The bridge was supposed to be a tool," continued Sentinel, "to help our people. But now, because of my stupidity, the enemy has it, and the entire planet is in danger."

While Sentinel tried to choke back tears, Optimus approached the gurney and gently placed his hand on the elder Prime's shoulder.

"Sentinel, it's ok," assured Optimus, "no one blames you, even though we didn't expect for this to happen. I'm sure we'll find a way to stop Shockwave and Megatron from executing their plan."

Sentinel turned his face away.

"I built the slagging thing," drawled Sentinel, "and it's my fault they even have the option of using the bridge. That human woman is going to have me publicly executed for this."

"You didn't betray anyone," replied Optimus, "the only one who deserves the blame for this dreadful matter is Shockwave."

"You should've offlined me on the moon," muttered Sentinel, "then no one could've gotten the codes."

"I can't bear to do that, Sentinel," trembled Optimus, "I-I care about you."

Optimus leaned closer to Sentinel and gently embraced to him. The older mech thought about pulling away, but decided against it. He found he was comforted by the embrace. After what had happened to him, he felt safe and protected in the other's arms. The elder Prime's head came to rest on Optimus's shoulder, leftover tears lazily dripping onto Optimus and rolling down his armor.

"I am very proud of you, Optimus," whispered Sentinel.

"Thank you, Sentinel," smiled Optimus.

Sentinel couldn't stop himself from returning the smile, putting his arms around his student and holding him close.

Just outside the two mechs' audial range, the Director stood with the others, watching them. Mearing didn't appear to be amused.

"What are they doing?" asked Mearing.

"Whatever this is," added Lennox, "this _**has**_ to be totally adorable."

Before anyone could stop her; and yes, the soldiers did try, Mearing stormed in on the two, a furious glance cast at the older mech, whose smile faded instantly.

"Good job, Einstein," barked Mearing, "your bridge pillars just sealed humanity's extinction. I hope you're happy you've sent an entire world to its grave."

Optimus and Sentinel let go of their embrace, the younger Prime standing up and focusing his optics on Mearing.

"Please," persuaded Optimus, "he had no way to know this would happen. The bridge was meant to help our people. Sentinel is not to blame for any of this."

"Then do you have any plans to fix the crisis we have at hand?" asked Mearing.

Sentinel looked down sadly.

"No, ma'am," answered Sentinel, "we don't."

"Then there's no place for you here," barked Mearing.

"Hold on," paused Optimus, "we may not have a plan yet, but we will come up with one if we have enough information on what the Decepticons plan to do."

"I most certainly hope so," sighed Mearing, "and we'll be happy to help you with the Intel, but if you don't fix the problem, I will have to ask Sentinel to leave this planet and never come back."

Sentinel visibly flinched, obviously stung by those words. He tried to turn his head away so Optimus wouldn't see the hurt in his optics at being told he'd be forced to leave his student, never to see him again.

"That's a bit harsh," commented Ironhide, "isn't it, miss?"

"I will give you until morning to think about it," replied Mearing.

Without saying anything further, Mearing left.

"What did I ever do to her?" sighed Sentinel.

"She doesn't like anybody, really," answered Epps.

"What sort of leader is that, then?" groaned Ratchet, "and has she forgotten that Sentinel is _**not**_ medically cleared for space travel? Her little vendetta could kill him… sorry, Optimus."

"Not to sound inconsiderate," interrupted Ironhide, "but if we don't do something, the Cons will kill us all, and they'll bring countless more through the bridge."

"So the key here is the space bridge," clarified Lennox, "we take that out, and we can take them down without them calling for reinforcements."

"Great," agreed Epps, "but… uh, how are we gonna do that?"

"The bridge has to be controlled by something," responded Optimus, "Sentinel?"

"Yes, it is," answered Sentinel, "by a special pillar. That is our only hope: we must destroy the control pillar."

"Seriously," exclaimed Lennox, "you want to blow up your invention?"

"I have no choice if I don't want it to destroy your world," replied Sentinel, "besides, it might be one of those things that should never be invented. Its potential for destruction is far too great a risk."

"But you invented it to help your people, right?" reminded Epps.

"Yes, I did," nodded Sentinel, "but now it threatens to destroy them instead. And, as much as I would be saddened to see my life's work go up in flames, I would be thankful for the lives saved by its destruction."

"I don't know if you'll be well enough to fight, Sentinel," replied Ratchet, "but I'm sure Optimus can get the job done."

"What do you mean by 'well enough'?" demanded Sentinel, "if I can stand, then I'm able to fight. Besides, it was my work that started this, so it may as well be my hand that helps finish it. I can't stay here in safety while my student is on the frontline."

Sentinel focused his optics on Optimus.

"If a Prime must fall," continued Sentinel, "let it be me and not him."

"Sentinel," whispered Optimus.

"Yes, Optimus?" murmured Sentinel, his voice softening.

"I appreciate that you want to fight alongside us," said Optimus, "even if I would be saddened by your passing."

"That may be true," replied Sentinel, "but I couldn't live with the pain yours could bring. I can't bear to lose you."

"Regardless," stated Optimus, "I will fight alongside you. Until then, we should rest until tomorrow."

"Agreed," nodded the others.

"I-I don't think I can sleep," stammered Sentinel.

"Why not?" asked Optimus.

"I'm rather worried about tomorrow," answered Sentinel.

"We'll discuss our solution with Mearing in the morning," assured Optimus, "would you like it if I kept you company?"

"Thank you, Optimus," smiled Sentinel.

While the Autobots turned in for the night, Optimus and Sentinel rested by each other's side on adjacent berths, each carrying that piece of comforting hope that they can still save this planet from the wrath of the Decepticons.


End file.
